Care England, The Outstanding Society (OS), and University College London (UCL) have joined forces for a new data sharing and infection-tackling initiative.
The aim of the initiative is to learn lessons from the pandemic and to work to tackle infections in care homes by establishing a data sharing network of 500-1,500 care homes across England.
The project builds on the national VIVALDI study which informed care home policy on COVID-19. Key examples included showing how important it was to pay full sick pay to staff, supporting the creation of the Infection Control Fund, and monitoring how well vaccines protected vulnerable residents.
Professor Martin Green OBE of Care England said: “The VIVALDI project really shows the benefit of care homes being involved in research. VIVALDI delivered changes in policy and practice that were driven by the experiences of care homes. For one of the first times in our recent history, we had a policy agenda that was dictated by what worked for the care homes during a global pandemic. VIVALDI has clearly shown the power of care homes coming together with researchers to define the best practice for both residents and staff.”
Professor Laura Shallcross of UCL said: “The VIVALDI study showed what could be done when researchers and care homes worked together, informing national responses to COVID-19. If we can do this kind of work during a pandemic, imagine what could be achieved if we adopted the same approach for other common infections, like flu or norovirus. We want to challenge the view that infections and outbreaks are simply an inevitable part of living in a care home, by delivering research and surveillance that tackles all kinds of infections.”
Zoe Fry of the OS added: “The VIVALDI study was such a significant milestone for social care to use research and surveillance to inform best practice to improve the lives of residents and teams within care homes. The OS is delighted to work with UCL and Care England to continue using evidence obtained within social care to reduce the impact of infections for the care home community, not only for the physical wellbeing of residents, teams, and visitors but their mental wellbeing too.”
